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Couple of questions arise as i research more

I hate to make a list of thins, but at least I won't clog the page.

1st. I have seen a lot of people cant the blade as they hone to save the spine. Is this ok and should a beginner try this. My worry is that it will make a more obtuse angle and get worse with time. Is this a problem with tape as well?

2nd. I have seen people mention forming a burr. Why would one do this and why is it important. It appears to be more of a restore technique.

3rd. I have a DMT 325, a Norton 4k/8k and 12k finishing hone. I was seeing many different # as far as laps and x strokes to get a razor shave ready. Is there a set number, and if I am right and there is not, how other than shaving do I know when I am ready for the next progression?

Last. I am assuming that when a razor comes shave ready that you just use CrOx or a 12k to refresh it and know you have a restore you bring it from bevel setting up. But what is the middle ground. Say I have restored for a year on the 12k and it just isn't the same anymore. Do I bring it from the 4k up, just touch it on the 8k before finishing again, or barely touch the 4k than 8k than 12k?


Sorry to leave such a loaded thread but often I am picking up a lot from reading but I feel like I am missing the over all concepts to tie everything together so I can answer things myself.
 
First, this will probably get more responses in the honing section. Pm a mod and see if they can move it

1st: canting the blade (lifting the spine) will change the bevel angle and will probably affect the shave. The bigger problem is that it is hard to keep the angle consistent. Tape also does this but to a smaller degree and the angle is much easier to control. Whether or not to do it depends on the razor and what you want out of it

2nd. A proper (sharp) bevel require that the planes of each side intersect in a line all the way down the length of the edge. Techniques that include forming a burr do so to help you be sure that the planes have met the entire length of the blade but at the cost of a little more wear than absolutely necessary

3rd you are right. No set number of laps. How you know depends on what type of hones you are using. I will leave it for others more expert in the use of stones like yours to give more details in what to look for

Last: I haven't gotten there yet either. My guess is you will get a "try different things and see what works" kind of answer as it will depend on how dull the blade actually gets before that particular blade seems too dull on your particular face with your individual technique
 
1 - don't do it. Only seems to be used when restoring from a big nick in the edge

2 - some use burrs to define readiness , some don't. I don't , I use arm hair to determine base sharpness.

3 - no set number, what needs to happen is that you have replaced all larger scratches with smaller on the bevel.

4 - you should really not need to go back to bevel set but maybe 3-7k and start from there. The best way is to drop back a few K and try it out. You'll never know until you do.

Ask more questions, it really is the only way to learn especially as the years of experience here is significant and lots of great thoughts and opinions.
 
Thanks guys. I ask #1 because I saw lynn say it in a video but that doesn't seem to newbie friendly. Should I replace this with tape like I see often or only on decorated spines?

As to looking at the scratches, is there an appropriate magnification to get a good look? Any suggestion on glass to buy to see it?

And last, can I set a bevel on the 325 and just to a 4k or is that way too big of a jump? If not, what is a good stone to get in that 1000 range?

Thanks again guys, I know these questions get old.
 
Don't worry about clogging the board. Just keep asking questions. :thumbup:

1st. I have seen a lot of people cant the blade as they hone to save the spine. Is this ok and should a beginner try this. My worry is that it will make a more obtuse angle and get worse with time. Is this a problem with tape as well?

It's a tricky thing to pull off - you should have no reason to be trying it unless you have damage to fix. Even then - the arguement for doing it hardly holds water. Tape is fine for the most part - over time it might present a problem with the bevel's angle. What many, including myself, find - is that keeping the angle within a 'range' is best.


2nd. I have seen people mention forming a burr. Why would one do this and why is it important. It appears to be more of a restore technique.
The burr technique is popular with those that have a hard time getting the bevel even. In my mind's eye, for this to work -the burr would have to be even across the edge, not just 'there'. I've never found a need to create a burr to get to the bevel myself. People do it though, I just wonder how even that burr is.

3rd. I have a DMT 325, a Norton 4k/8k and 12k finishing hone. I was seeing many different # as far as laps and x strokes to get a razor shave ready. Is there a set number, and if I am right and there is not, how other than shaving do I know when I am ready for the next progression?
Counting laps is futile. The indicators you can use are: feedback, undercut, swarf development/absence, audibles, TNT, TPT, etc. I go by 'feel' for the most part, but the other indicators are always there too. Eventually, you'll develop your own 'thing'. There is no right/wrong.

Last. I am assuming that when a razor comes shave ready that you just use CrOx or a 12k to refresh it and know you have a restore you bring it from bevel setting up. But what is the middle ground. Say I have restored for a year on the 12k and it just isn't the same anymore. Do I bring it from the 4k up, just touch it on the 8k before finishing again, or barely touch the 4k than 8k than 12k?
Depends. You can try going to the 8k to see if that helps, and progress backwards until you get to where the edge is responding correctly.
For me - if I had a razor that was no longer responding to the 12k, I'd probably just start at 1k and move forward.
Working backwards incrementally may be good, may be a waste of time. There's no way to know for sure in a hypothetical situation.
I hone a lot and I like to hone so it's no bother to me to reset the bevel.
 
I hate to make a list of thins, but at least I won't clog the page.

1st. I have seen a lot of people cant the blade as they hone to save the spine. Is this ok and should a beginner try this. My worry is that it will make a more obtuse angle and get worse with time. Is this a problem with tape as well?
A beginner shouldn't try to freehand hone a razor, arguably no one should. If you want to prevent spinewear, use tape.

2nd. I have seen people mention forming a burr. Why would one do this and why is it important. It appears to be more of a restore technique.
You don't raise a noticeable burr in standard razor honing. Sharpening through burr swapping a razor would be difficult to do, as the razors are honed flat, not at an angle (you obviously CAN hone at an angle, but it is inadvisable, and no one I'm aware of does so with razors).

3rd. I have a DMT 325, a Norton 4k/8k and 12k finishing hone. I was seeing many different # as far as laps and x strokes to get a razor shave ready. Is there a set number, and if I am right and there is not, how other than shaving do I know when I am ready for the next progression?
No set number. Depends on the condition of the hones, the razor you're using, its condition, the pressure you use, and many more things. Honestly, counting passes to reach "X" number that so and so told you was the right amount is about the most counterproductive thing one can do towards learning to hone.

Last. I am assuming that when a razor comes shave ready that you just use CrOx or a 12k to refresh it and know you have a restore you bring it from bevel setting up. But what is the middle ground. Say I have restored for a year on the 12k and it just isn't the same anymore. Do I bring it from the 4k up, just touch it on the 8k before finishing again, or barely touch the 4k than 8k than 12k?
If there's no visible damage to the edge, it works the same as any other tool. See if the 8k gets you back to where you wanna be in a reasonable number of passes, if that fails go to the 4k, if that fails go to the 325. Honestly, if you spend any significant amount of time honing, you'll develop a feel for things that will tell you how far down the progression you need to go to bring an edge back long before you actually need to do it. In theory, if you consistently maintain the edge as necessary with a finishing or touch-up stone (like your 12k), you should never have to go to a lower grit hone. Evidently shaving simply doesn't do enough damage to an edge that lower grit stones would ever be needed unless you abuse or neglect the razor. I can't say this from experience as I never tried to maintain a razor indefinitely with only a finishing stone, but I believe a former member mentioned once that he had maintained a razor for ~25 years with only a SWATY hone (a touch up hone that would be used similarly to your 12k).
 
Actually freehand makes little sense when the angle is built into the razor. I just can't see freehand providing good or consistent results.
 
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